In this Gospel the Lord speaks to us plainly: I am to be handed over. He knows it, accepts it, and willingly gives Himself up to die on the cross out of Love — to redeem me, to redeem my marriage. Jesus tells us that the greatest demonstration of love is to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, to give oneself for the beloved. And today He says this to us, spouses:  “Pay attention to what I am telling you”: the way of marriage consists in loving your spouse, and that love is shown through self-giving. A total, voluntary giving that demands nothing in return. It’s as if He says: listen to what I have to tell you, pay attention — the path of love is a path of giving. Get this into your head: love is giving, and giving even unto the cross. It is a clear and firm message. What part of it seems ambiguous?

Do I want to hear the message, or would I rather close my ears and pretend I do not understand? Which corners of my life do I resist handing over? Do I dare to ask the Lord to show me where and how to give myself more to my husband? Or am I afraid to ask Him, in case I do not like the answer?

Anna: Dad, James has asked me to marry him, and I’ve said yes.
John: How wonderful, my dear. Are you sure James is your vocation?
Anna: What a strange question! I don’t understand you, Dad.
John: Why do you want to get married?
Anna: To be happy. I know James loves me and he will make me happy.
John: But marriage is not about having someone make you happy; it’s about you giving yourself for the salvation and eternal happiness of your husband.
Anna: I will make him happy too!
John: Marriage is not a matter of pleasures; it is the acceptance of a vocation to give yourself.
Anna: I don’t understand anything of what you are saying.
John: If James is your vocation, by marrying him you say yes to the Lord, and you then willingly accept to give yourself to James — for better and for worse. Until death. Even giving your life for him, no matter the circumstances.
Anna: Dad, you’re old-fashioned. Give yourself… until death… That’s not done any more.
John: My daughter, that is what true marriage is. The kind your mother and I have tried to live since we discovered marriage as God intended it — the kind that leads to eternal happiness. Why don’t you both go on a couples’ retreat with the Marital Love Project and deepen your understanding of your vocation before taking that step? We’ll invite you both to go.
Anna: Actually, I would like my marriage to be like the one you and mum have been living these last years. You seem very united and happy, even when things don’t look so good. I’ll suggest the retreat to James.

Mother,

No one knows the importance of prayer and contemplation like You do. Take us by the hand, so we may learn to give ourselves as You did — with joy, generosity and without limits — that we might love with a Love like Yours. Blessed are You, Mother! Praised be the Lord, who gave Himself for us!

From the Gospel according to Luke
9:18-22

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

One of the most important lessons the Lord taught His disciples was the value of prayer — and He did so by leading through example. Faith and prayer are two sides of the same coin, and if we long for our faith to grow, there is no better method than daily prayer, cultivating a relationship of intimacy with the One who loves us and has given His life for us.

(After leaving Mass)
Michael: Laura, the Lord spoke powerfully to me in today’s Gospel. He asks me, “But who do you say that I am?”
Laura: How wonderful, Michael! You must take this into prayer tonight.
Michael: I cannot wait…
(That evening during their couple’s prayer)
Michael: Lord, I want to ask Your forgiveness for all the times I have failed to witness who You are to me. For the times I have kept silent out of shame or shyness when asked why I go to Mass or why I believe. For the times my actions have not reflected Your love. Forgive me, Lord. I know You are the Messiah, the Son of God, and I want to proclaim it to the whole world.
Laura: I, too, want to ask for Your forgiveness, Lord. I have spent so long asking You to increase my faith, yet I have done little on my part. Time and again in the Gospel You remind us of the importance of prayer. Today I wish to make the firm decision to increase my daily time of prayer — that will be the way my faith will grow.
Michael: What a beautiful resolution. I stand with you, and I too make the firm decision to grow in prayer.
Together: Help us, Lord, to persevere!

Mother,

No one knows better than You the importance of prayer and contemplation. Hand in hand with You, we long to grow in intimacy with Your Son and to enter into His Sacred Heart. Blessed be He forever!

From the Gospel according to Luke
9:7-9

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying,
“John has been raised from the dead”;
others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”;
still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded.
Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he kept trying to see him.

When we make mistakes for whatever reason, remorse arises for the harm we have caused, for the wrong we have not yet repented of, and it hurts us deeply to think of the pain we may have inflicted. Yet the solution is so simple: to ask for forgiveness.

Admitting we were wrong and doing what we can to repair often costs us more than we expect, weighed down by that stain of original sin. And yet, it is always possible — knowing the reward is greater. When this happens, we must look within our hearts, for there lies the source of our love, the very centre of our being, where we discover who we are and above all our immense capacity to love.

At the first sign of remorse, we must ask forgiveness, go to confession to cleanse our soul, and bring light to the world with the love within us. For without realising it, our hearts are far more united to the Heart of Christ than we think.

As married couples, we must make full use of the grace we receive through the sacrament, where we are called to be of one heart, closely united to the Sacred Heart of Christ and the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary.

Mary: Happy anniversary, Simon! I give endless thanks to God today for everything we are living together through our marriage.
Simon: Happy anniversary! It is such a gift — everything we share, and how each day with you is better than the last.
Mary: Yes, how our life together has changed since we discovered all that we have and receive through the grace of our marriage.
Simon: Discovering that there is always a greater reward when I step out of myself to give everything without expecting anything in return — and above all, learning not to leave anything unresolved for tomorrow, thinking time would fix it.
Mary: Exactly. How easily we used to let things slip by, without realising the harm it caused — and how often we said, “It will pass”… But we’ve changed that into a quick “forgive me,” showing both our smallness and how much we still have to grow.
Simon: Yes, you are my daily light. Each day I find myself asking: is there anything unresolved? And when I realise there is, it’s easy to come to you to make it right, putting aside the shame of having failed, knowing it’s the very best thing for both of us.
Mary: Today is a special day worth celebrating. Shall we go to Mass together this evening to give thanks to God and Our Lady for all we have received?
Simon: Brilliant idea! We could even go a bit earlier, so we can go to confession and make a fresh start.
Mary: Perfect.

Mother,

Thank you for showing us the quickest way — through forgiveness — to reach the Sacred Heart of your Son. Glory be to God!

Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority
over all demons and to cure diseases,
and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God
and to heal the sick.
He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and leave from there.
And as for those who do not welcome you,
when you leave that town,
shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.”
Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

Nowadays we like to have everything under control, everything secured, tied up neatly; we want to live in peace of mind, and so we take out all kinds of insurance — life, death, car, home, travel, health, even pets… In short, we like to feel safe.

Jesus, however, sends us out with no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no spare tunic… Apparently with nothing. But what the Lord asks of us is to place our trust in Him alone — and this is profoundly liberating.

What makes a word, a visit, or a smile fruitful is not ourselves, but the Holy Spirit acting through our poverty. St Paul explains it with a beautiful image: “But we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7). That treasure is Christ in our marriage. Even if we are fragile, even if we seem to have nothing, He makes His love shine through us — and in our poverty His providence is revealed more clearly.

This Gospel challenges us to review what we hold for granted. How many times do we put off doing good because we do not feel “ready”? How often do we think: when I have more time, more knowledge, more stability… then I will be able to…

Husbands and wives, we have a mission! We are sent to proclaim the Beauty of Christian Marriage and the Good News of the Kingdom of God in our families. We need nothing more than the love of God between us. It is not a matter of arguments, but of witness — that others may say of us what was said of the first Christians: “See how they love one another.”

Claire: Did you notice what your sister said to me yesterday?
Luke: What did she say?
Claire: That she was struck by the way you looked at me while we were talking at dinner. She said it seemed as though you were listening with all your heart.
Luke: But I didn’t do anything special…
Claire: It may feel natural to you, but to others it’s unusual. Sadly, it’s more common for couples to hurt one another with words, to ignore each other… and the way we treat one another speaks of God.
Luke: So… we evangelise without even realising it?
Claire: It seems so… She even told me it gave her great hope to see that such love is possible, and that it stirred in her the desire to love more deeply.
Luke: And to think that all I did was look at you the way I always do!
Claire: This time, as you say, we did it unconsciously. But now we must be intentional — our parish priest has long wanted to start a couples’ group and needs someone to help get it going and accompany the others.
Luke: Well, we’ve got no experience in this sort of thing; we’re only going with what we have — our availability and our gaze, hahaha… let’s go!

Mother,

Give us missionary hearts. We carry a treasure in jars of clay, but we do not go alone — you guide us and walk with us, and in the end your Immaculate Heart will triumph. Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!

From the Gospel according to Luke
8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him
but were unable to join him because of the crowd.
He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside
and they wish to see you.”
He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers
are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

At first sight, this Gospel may seem puzzling, as it gives the impression that Jesus is disregarding His Mother and His relatives. Yet the reality is quite the opposite: He exalts them, showing the true reason why they are so close to Him — they listen to the Word of God and put it into practice. In doing so, they live in the same Spirit, which is what makes them one with Christ. Jesus seizes the opportunity to invite us to share in that same intimacy with Him.

For married couples, this means that there is no human bond stronger between us — and with Jesus — than the one given through the sacrament; the real presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling among us. Therefore, it is not simply about doing things together, sharing tasks or hobbies; it is something far deeper. Through our love, every time we give ourselves to each other, forgive one another, pray, and serve each other, united with Jesus, we allow Him to take flesh in us, to make us one, and to draw us into His intimacy. Who would ever want to miss that?

Emma: Oh James, I truly give thanks to God for the incredible union we are experiencing… and it is all thanks to prayer, James, and to the fact that we have been faithful to our prayer as a couple.
James: Yes Emma, that’s true. I used to think that maybe to grow closer we needed to share hobbies, or spend more time together… and of course those things do matter, but what is really helping us grow in love and in intimacy with each other and with the Lord is prayer. It is so important. It is essential to truly become one flesh; which is why the devil always tries to place so many obstacles.
Emma: Exactly, my love. We must be strong and persevere in prayer, because if we already feel so united now, we will be amazed at what the Lord will do with us if we never give up.
James: I’m giving it my best Emma. I’m giving the Lord a huge “Yes.”
Emma: That’s my dear James, oh how I love you!
James: And I love you…

Mary,

The holy Fathers of the Church used to say that you were more blessed for believing than for giving birth. You are the perfect model of a disciple who receives and treasures the Word. We ask you, Mother, that like you, we may always say hand in hand: Let it be done to us according to Your word. Praised be Mary forever!